


come, sit, stay

by sweetiejelly



Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25520875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetiejelly/pseuds/sweetiejelly
Summary: 'Come' was easy. 'Sit' was harder. 'Stay' was the hardest.Or, Ram's take of their courtship, to after camp, when King got back.
Relationships: King/Ram (My Engineer)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 187





	come, sit, stay

'Come' was easy, just a latching on of hand on wrist, of eyes on eyes (until King read him right), and then tugging. 'Come' came first. King excelled, became an expert. He even did it back, by looking, by latching on, by leading Ram where he wanted him to go.

And where King wanted to show him was his secret spot, a little sanctuary in the middle of the garden by a little pond. It was clean and cozy. It was green and it was calm. For twenty whole minutes Ram forgot about his troubles, courted brand new ones.

It was just- King gave him a _flower_ tucked gently behind his ear - for the flower's sake or his own he wasn't sure, but either (both) made him want to spend more time with King. No one had ever given him anything like this - which King explained as a gift of time, of beauty from patience. Ram wanted (wanted to at least _try_ ) to see things through, with his dad and yes, with King.

King's sudden cry jolted him out of his reverie. Splinter, King complained. And Ram thought: I should teach you not to touch. Then again, King wouldn't be King if he didn't greet all the plants like they were his children, greet them with bright words and gentle, eager hands, greet them with adoring eyes too. And Ram, well, Ram liked King just the way he was.

'Sit' was harder. King sat too close. Ram had issues (palpitations, sweaty palms, persistent thoughts of leaning closer) when King sat next to him, turned his face so Ram's face had nowhere to go but red and Ram's mind had nowhere to go but hell.

Then King sat too far, drank far too much. And Ram didn't know how to stop this disaster train. Why did King hate him now? How could he get King to explain?

By asking, it turned out.

"Why?"

 _"Why_?"

Ram was never good with words, stuck to the simple ones, the clear ones, and used his body to say the rest.

_I'm not afraid of you wanting me, quite the opposite. I'm staying._

_I'm staying._

Ram didn't expect King to launch himself at his lips. Good thing Ram boxed, got used to hits. He could take this. He's _got_ this.

Gentle as the flower slid over his ear, Ram slid his hands up to cup King's face.

_It's okay. You're okay._

(It wasn't quite okay, per se. The palpitations were never worse.)

Still, he felt King shaking, from the adrenaline or the alcohol or the head wound or maybe all of it, and every fiber of his being wished to soothe.

_It's okay. You're okay. We're okay._

_Alright?_

King held him firm by the neck and met him for another kiss.

Then another, and another.

Somewhere between nipping his lips and licking his tongue, King put his free hand on Ram's hip for support, to hold himself up.

Until he couldn't anymore and collapsed from his kneel. And there King sat, lips too bright, hair flopped over his eyes, chest heaving as he breathed too hard.

Ram crawled forward (slow), turned (slow), and sat next to him the way he used to (too close). But now it wasn't hell. Now he got to touch. Ram held out an arm and King turned to him, tucking neatly into the crook of Ram's body like he was waiting for this.

Whether 'this' was somewhere to hide his face or somewhere to rest his head didn't matter. Ram liked that he could provide King shelter, offer up his human-shaped sanctuary. Slow and gentle, he guided them to lie down, King still tucked to his side. The trust made Ram warm, so warm from the inside out.

'Stay' was the hardest. King was already gone by the time Ram woke up the next day. He could still smell the alcohol in the air though. And if he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could recall the tingles that King's mouth left in its wake.

When he stepped outside the tent, there was King. There was King trying to paint over the events of last night with a rush of words, breathless exclamations, and wide swings of arms. _You got drunk and forgot everything?! You played cards with P'Tee and then you conked out?! Good! You go wash up first._

Ram wanted to stay, but what was he supposed to say in the face of obvious dismissal? If King needed space, a non-human sanctuary, then Ram wanted to give him that. He nodded and left, took a cold, cold shower.

King's ride came early and Ram almost missed saying goodbye. Not that he wanted King to go at all, but he wanted- wanted to clear things up and make sure King was okay.

See you at the condo, King said. And something loosened in Ram's chest. King wasn't running away, not indefinitely. See you at the condo wasn't see you never.

Still, King looked anxious and Ram missed his chance to explain. Then his phone chimed - the alarm for King's ride. Really, it came way too early. Ram looked at his phone and typed out a text.

_I wasn't drunk last night._

There. He was as clear as he could be.

"Stay," he said to his babies when he got back and all three dogs obeyed, easy as anything. He loved them so much. Ram thought perhaps he might love King too. It was more complicated though, because humans, because words.

Then Ram thought - why not something other than words? Something else to express his desire to stay, just stay by King's side.

First at the flower shop helped him out. Mimosa pudica - it was a plant with pretty lavender flowers shaped like dandelions. What was special about it though was its leaves, the way they curl up shy on touch. King loved to touch his plants, but as far as Ram knew, the plants didn't greet him back. Ram wanted to give King an interactive plant, something that acknowledged King's care.

When King came back, Ram hid in the kitchen, listened as King greeted each of his babies on the way in. "Hi you! And you, hello. How are you? You're looking well."

Then - "Oh! Who are _you_?"

Ram's heartbeat ticked up. King's reached the new addition.

"Oh! You- you're cute, na?"

Ram let himself smile then. Thank goodness King didn't hate it. He turned to the fridge to pull out the water and pour some for King.

"Ai'Ning!" King greeted him when he reached the living room. "Is this from you?"

Ram nodded and thrust the glass at King.

"Thank you," King downed a quarter of the glass in one go, like he hadn't drank in days. "Where are the dogs?"

"Ruj is walking them."

"Ah." King drank some more. "Are things still…"

Ram nodded. Unfortunately things were still the same. His dad was still a cheater. Pin still posted hints of their entanglement on social media. Ram's heart still hurt for his family.

King nodded as if he got all of that, which King being King he probably did. "Thank you for the gift. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Ram made himself speak, be clear and concise. "P'King is important to me."

King's mouth fell open slightly in surprise and he looked like he wanted to bolt. But he didn't, just closed his mouth and gulped, blinking a little too fast. "Ai'Ning," King stared at his chest like maybe all the answers were there, or like it was safer to talk to.

"Ram," King finally looked him in the eyes. "Even my friends tease me about being into plants and talking geeky. But you- you _brought_ me a plant. And not just any plant, _that_ one. It responds to my touch and- and it's pretty. It's you, isn't it? The plant? You're quiet too but you respond to me in your own way."

Ram gave him a moment to stop talking, to put down his glass, empty now except the condensation. Then Ram spoke up.

"No. The plant is a plant." He wanted to make it clear. It was important that King understood. "I'm Ram."

"I-" King gestured awkwardly at air, "I meant metaphorically."

Ram shook his head. King still didn't get it. "The plant is yours."

"Oh," King blushed and started to babble. "No, I- I wasn't assuming _you_ were mine." 

This wouldn't do. Ram took a step closer.

And King startled back.

Ram stared at him, frustrated. How did one court a boy who always assumed he wouldn't be wanted? "It's P'King's condo," he said. "P'King decides if he wants me to stay."

"Oh! You meant - the plant stays no matter what and you-" King broke off and took his hand back before it jabbed Ram in the chest. "Do you want to stay?"

Ram clenched his jaws and frowned. Did King want him to stay?

Then King's hand closed around his wrist, tentative, as he said, "Stay."

A smile took over Ram's face before he had any say in it. But since the answering smile on King's face looked so sweet, Ram didn't mind. He nodded and finally closed the distance between them and hugged King to his chest.

King breathed out, a long sigh over his shoulder, and hugged him back. And it felt like a different kind of sanctuary this time, like maybe it was one made with two pods, one for each of them.

When Ram eased back from the hug, reluctant, King eased back too (slow, slow, slow). King was staring down again, maybe at Ram's neck tattoo this time. The sweep of his eyelashes were so pretty and the swoop of his hair looked inviting. Ram itched to touch.

So he did, slowly, so not to startle, teasing the curtain of hair to the side so to see his King better. "Will P'King stay with Ram?"

This time it was King who went wordless, nodded. And then King was the one who made Ram wordless as he leaned in slowly, lips pressing ever closer.

This time, their kiss went soft and sweet, like a hello. 

(Ram was still a mess; hello, palpitations galore.)

But King tasted fresh like the water he guzzled, not like alcohol. King tasted him carefully, like he was savoring, learning Ram's mouth right back.

Their kiss slid from _hello_ into _missed you_ into _how are you so hot_?

When they broke apart, Ram felt his cheeks were on fire, he was so red. 

King wouldn't look him in the eyes. "I need to- restroom- I drank too much." And then King turned and fled.

Ram grabbed the empty glass off the table and took it into the kitchen to wash. It wasn't _all_ nervous energy. What? The glass wasn't going to wash itself!

Right, so. He was staying. King was staying. They were staying _together_. Ram felt a ridiculous grin break over his face.

**Author's Note:**

> [Mimosa pudica is this.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica) The last scene was definitely influenced by [the MV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8DoxSiHNb4), the gentle hair caress, gosh.


End file.
